Angola: Key Figures

12:01AM BST 08 Aug 2002

Jose Eduardo dos Santos (1944-)

Jose Eduardo dos Santos has been President of Angola since the late seventies. Born in 1944, the former liberation fighter was the most unlikely candidate to succeed the founding President - Agostinho Neto who died in 1979.

His MPLA (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola) party was returned to power in 1992 in the country's first multi-party election.

Mr dos Santos did not secure an outright majority in the elections, which should have resulted in a second round between him and the UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi. But the latter's return to war meant that second round was no longer possible. And thus, technically, he has been the interim president for 10 years.

After dismissing several prime ministers, he took on the additional mantle of Prime Minister while being the Head of State and leader of the ruling party.

Over the years he has abandoned his Marxist policies and adopted a more pragmatic socialist view.

Today, as the country is finally free of civil war, he is hailed as the President of a nation whose government known for its institutionalised corruption.

Organisations such as the IMF and the UN are stalling in providing humanitarian aid to the millions of Angolans suffering poverty and hunger, until this corruption is addressed. The pressure on Mr. Dos Santos to set affairs right, is tremendous. He does not plan to stand as a candidate for presidency in the next elections.

Jonas Savimbi (1934-2002)

His death marked the beginning of the end of 27 years of civil war. There was a time when Savimbi was feted at the White House and in Europe.

He had substantial amunitions support from America and South Africa in his battle against the Marxist MPLA government, but he became a pariah when he refused to stop fighting.

Born on August 3 1934, he was an imposing six-feet tall with a flair for public speaking.

He attended mission schools and went on to study medicine in Lisbon on a scholarship.

He fled to Switzerland in 1961 when Portuguese authorities repeatedly questioned him about subversive activities among African students.

By 1965, Savimbi gained a PhD from Lausanne University, having made a name for himself in African politics. He founded UNITA (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola) in 1966.

He was a man of contradictions. His grasp of English, French, German and Portuguese established his reputation as an intellectual the West could trust and understand. But at home, in true Maoist style, he condemned intellectuals, eliminated dissenters and praised peasant thought.

Despite his high-profile presence, little is known about his personal life except that he had a number of wives and concubines and was usually addressed as 'Doctor'. After the Cold War ended and elections were held, Savimbi lost to the ruling MPLA (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola).

Instead of accepting this decision, he dragged Angola back into war despite the Americans and South Africans withdrawing their support. At the time, he was possibly the most dangerous rebel leader, with a very experienced army and access to an endless supply of minerals.

For nearly three decades he waged his war against the government, earning the epithet of Africa's most enduring bush fighter. The government realised that to end the war, they had to get rid of the UNITA leader. And thus the rebel leader turned tyrant was killed in a well-planned and brutal attack, details of which are shrouded in mystery.

It is alleged that Israeli communications experts aided this operation. Most remember him as a brilliant man who turned dangerous and psychotic in his lust for power.